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It’s that time of year again! Time for the annual school photos of your kids—and of course they want extras to exchange
with their friends. But what if you forgot to budget for this expense? (And did you notice the package prices are increasing?)
Have no fear! If you have a regular (or even better yet, a digital) camera; a personal computer; and some professional
quality photo paper, you can create professional quality photos of your kids that will rival the prints taken at school—all
in the comfort of your own home.
Here are some tips and techniques to turn your amateur photography skills into professional quality portraits.
Ever been inside a professional photographer’s studio or been privy to a fancy photo shoot? It’s often enlightening to
learn that even the most glamorous photos are shot in a decidedly practical and unglamorous setting. You don’t need
fancy backgrounds and settings to create gorgeous pictures.
Tip #1.
Large pieces of solid colored fabric or paper make great backdrops for photo shoots!
Try using yards of inexpensive fabric you can pick up at your local discount store—or use a solid colored sheet off your bed!
Hang or drape the fabric or paper behind your subject.
Tip #2.
Mother Nature provides some of the most beautiful photo backdrops—absolutely free!
Take your kids to a local park or head out into your yard to get some great shots. Try posing your subjects in front of a
flower bed, tree or bush (natural green backgrounds and tree bark are great), leaning against a tree trunk, or sitting near
a stream.
One of the things photo studios do have that you don’t is probably professional lighting, reflectors, and meters to
adjust the lighting properly. But even professional photographers will tell you that natural lighting is best. Good
lighting is critical to good photos.
Tip #3.
Take photos outdoors where the lighting is “naturally” natural. Indoor lighting can be harsh and unpredictable,
casting shadows or unnatural glows on your subject.
Tip #4.
Take outdoor photos in early morning or late afternoon. Don’t take outdoor photos at high noon.
Tip #5.
Overcast, cloudy days are perfect days for outdoor photos. You’ll often get much better results than on bright,
sunny days—believe it or not!
For natural indoor photos the key is to utilize soft lighting from the side of the subject.
Tip #6.
An open doorway, a porch with windows, a room with lots of windows, or a garage (with the garage door open) are
great locations for indoor photo shoots. In some cases, you’ll want to incorporate the existing background into your
photos. In others, hanging that sheet or other background fabric on the door that’s open (when you’re shooting in a
doorway) is a great technique—and it’s so easy!
Tip #7.
Try taking photos of your kids in the car. Drape your fabric background on the back seat, seat your child
on the backseat, and shoot from the front seat or the open door. The natural side lighting gives great results.
One of the greatest advantages of digital technology is that you can immediately review your pictures and you’ll know
immediately when you’ve captured the perfect photo. But even if you don’t have a digital camera, professional
photographers agree you can increase your odds of snapping the perfect picture by following one simple guideline.
It’s tip #8:
Tip #8.
Shoot more film!
Professional photographers don’t rely on their ability to capture the perfect photo in the first shot. Instead
they shoot rolls and rolls of film hoping that the law of odds will work in their favor and somewhere in all those
rolls they’ll emerge with the perfect photo. When working with children—and especially considering you’re probably
working with your own kids—go ahead and shoot lots of photos so you have plenty to pick from.
Tip #9.
Turn off the flash.
If you’ve followed the guidelines for natural lighting above, chances are you don’t need
the flash at all. The flash is most useful when shooting a subject in a darkened setting. Using the flash illuminates
the area so the photo doesn’t look like it was taken in the dark at all. To capture the effects of natural side lighting,
turn off the automatic flash and capture the scene as it really exists without the glare of the flash.
Tip #10.
Fill the frame with your subject.
What’s the first thing you notice in a school photo of your child? Your child, right? So forget about all the excess
baggage amateur photos are usually noted for and go in tight to capture your child’s engaging smile. Your child should
be the most prominent thing in the photo, and his or her face should fill the majority of the frame when you snap the picture.
Tip #11.
Crop, crop, and then crop some more.
If you find the perfect shot of your child but there’s just too much clutter in the background (and maybe you already
have a great photo from the summer you can use), download or scan the photo into your computer and then crop the photo
so that your child’s head and shoulders are prominent.
If necessary because you don’t have photo manipulating software or to ensure a high quality reproduction when enlarging a
small photo, take the original print from your camera in to your local department store or one-hour photo place and have
the print enlarged to an 8x10” first. Then physically crop the photo with a scissors. Scan the cropped image into your
computer, then resize the photo to create wallet or exchange-sized photos like those in the school’s portrait package
(measure other wallet-sized photos if necessary), copy and paste multiple copies of the same photo and then utilize your
pc to lay out as many photos per page as possible so you don’t waste your photo paper, and then print out as many
copies/photos as you need.
Tip #12.
Use professional paper and high quality printing.
If you have your own computer and printer, be sure to print your photos on professional quality photo paper created
for your kind of printer (inkjet or laser). Check your printer’s settings and select highest quality professional
printing—and printing on the specific kind of photo paper you purchased—to get the absolute best results. Even if
you don’t have a “photo” printer, most inexpensive inkjet printers deliver great prints when set correctly for photos.
(Note: There’s a huge difference between the quality of photos printed on regular bond paper with the normal settings
and those printed on high quality photo paper with the best quality printing selected on your printer!)
The great thing about doing your child’s school photos at home? You get to pick the background and the pose, you
can capture your child’s real personality, and you never have to order more reprints if the kids run out when they’re
exchanging with their friends! Just go back to your pc and print out more!
And best of all? Photographing your child is FUN!
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About The Author:
Tina L. Miller is a freelance writer and photographer. She is the author of
When a Woman Prays.
Tina may be reached via email at tina@tinalmiller.com or
http://tinalmiller.com
* This article is available for your publication, for a F-E-E.
This article may NOT be reprinted without monetary compensation and written permission from the author.
For reprint rights or comments/questions about this article, please contact the author.
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